Observations, rants and musings on life in Hong Kong from an impatient New Yorker-turned-expat wife-turned New Yorker again

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Cheeky and Chuffed

Sounds like the title of a really bad porn, but these are actually terms used in everyday life around here. If you're ever traveling abroad or are a total Cliff Clavin (a know-it-all who knows just enough about a topic to show off at a dinner party), here's a few more you should know:

Cheeky:
~A way someone acts that is cute and desirable
~An annoying person who plays sneaky tricks on people
~A bit on the mischievous side
Usage: "Did you see the way she winked at my boyfriend? Cheeky bee-atch."
**Full disclosure, I'm not even sure I used it correctly there. It's like Italian - I know it when I hear it, but struggle to speak it.

Happy Days:
OK, get The Fonz out of your head. It's more like...
Usage: "I will go on this diet because I want to get healthy and if I just so happen to lose weight - happy days!"

Much like "mate" it's very hard to get away with saying these things if you're American. I've started saying "happy days" but won't go near "cheeky" or "chuffed". Just can't do it... To clarify, I would *like* to say them, but it would sound forced coming from me. It's like hot pants or a string bikini - I'd love to wear them, but just shouldn't.

While we're on the topic, you'll find that Aussies say:

"Good on you" instead of "good for you"

"How are you going?" instead of "How are you doing?"

They also love to shorten things and will say "uni" instead of university and "dero" instead of "derelict" which apparently is a common insult to throw around Down Under.

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Who Am I?

I'm a 30-something PR exec from New York City (by way of Kentucky!) whose world has been rocked by moving to Hong Kong (China!) and becoming a housewife.
I live with my 2 VBs (hubby + dog), crazy allergies, an intense fear of flying (not something I recommend when you move across the globe) and a constant hankering for a good NYC bagel and slice.